No being unemployed is not an ideal position from a financial (or mental health) perspective, but looking at this situation as an IT recruiter they have the best situation in which to view all of their options and make the best decision for their career. So the question that begs to be asked is why do so few take advantage of their situation?

Here recently I’ve dealt with a few individuals who have been caught up in the proverbial downsizing/outsourcing at their company and have set off to find their next job and from what I can tell they break almost every logical rule for finding a quality job fast (see blog: Rules for the unemployed job search). The biggest mistakes include:

• Delaying the start of your job search (no good reason for this even if you get a year of severance)
• Delay in calling a recruiter – The damage you can do to your search by spending the first weeks or month sending your resume to companies on your own is immeasurable.
• Not being truthful with a recruiter about where your resumes been sent and the status of those interviews (if you expect their help don’t waste their time)
• Not looking at every job that meets their criteria. Not everything looks ideal, but remember that you’re trying on jobs like shoes and fit is more important that look and that can only be determined through interviewing.
• Taking the first offer when other qualified options still exist and can be brought to conclusion in a reasonable timeframe.

So make sure that you start your search right away, consult a professional who can help, be open to options and don’t rush to close out the search with good options still to play out and you will find a job that fits your needs and do so quickly.